The field of soil characteristics measurement and in particular soil moisture and salinity is described in various published patents and patent applications owned by the subject applicant, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,418,466; AU760525; AU2002331464; U.S. Pat. No. 7,042,234; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,743 all of which are incorporated by reference into this specification.
Although the arrangements disclosed in the abovementioned patents are workable there are always pressures to minimize costs and create easier, more time saving and more simply repeatable arrangements for installing sensors in the soil and measuring the moisture and salinity of the soil.
The invention disclosed herein provides one or more arrangements that are an improvement and/or alternative arrangement to those disclosed in the previously referred to patents and patent applications by the applicant.